Side Show's Henry Krieger and Bill Russell have teamed on a new musical entitled Up in the Air: The Story of Boonah, the Tree-Climbing Frog.

The family-friendly musical will make its world premiere during the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' upcoming JAPAN! culture + hyperculture Festival. Part of the Center's Performances for Young Audiences Series, Up in the Air will play the Family Theater Feb. 7-10, 2008. Amon Miyamoto, who directed and choreographed the 2004 revival of Pacific Overtures at Studio 54, will direct. It was also Miyamoto's idea to adapt the well-known Japanese tale into a musical.

Up in the Air, according to the Kennedy Center website, is described as such: "Who's green, gutsy, and able to scale to the highest branch? Why, it's Boonah, the tree-climbing frog! One fateful day, Boonah is overlooking his pond when he discovers the leaves hide the home of a hungry hawk. While waiting for his chance to escape, he observes the creatures brought back to the nest. In the process, Boonah learns we are all part of a grand and wonderful design--we live, and die, so that the cycle of life may continue."